graduation blues
by Disneygirl1982
Summary: this is a short story about how i think trent would have felt about his parents deaths on his graduation day. rr, no flames


Disclaimer: I don't own the power rangers! If I did I would be rich and famous!

Summary: this is about Trent and how he might have felt on the day of his graduation. Takes place one or two weeks after the prom.

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Graduation Blues

By, Amanda Robertson

Standing in front of the mirror, 17 year old Trent mercer fiddled with his tie again, he was deep in thought over graduation, and all him and his friends had been threw over the past year. Now all their hard work had paid off as students at Reefside High, it was their graduation day, Trent knew he should be happy but something was missing from the picture. As he ran a brush threw his hair one last time he caught a glimpse of something in the reflection, a picture sitting on his nightstand. He put the brush down and walked over to it, it was a picture of himself his father on the left, Anton standing adjacent to him, and his mother, they all had smiles on their faces. Remembered the day that picture was taken, it was taken two weeks prior to his parent's deaths.

Just then there was a knock on the door, "come in," Anton walked into his son's room, he saw the lost look in his adopted son's eyes and said "is everything ok son?" Trent looked back down at the picture and said "I miss them dad, I wish they could be here today. Mom once told me that she would have nothing more then loved to see me graduate. Now that she is gone, I don't know, maybe I shouldn't even go today." Anton gently took the picture from his son,

"Trent, don't say that, you would be letting her down by not going. She is still with you son." Anton put his hand on Trent's chest and said " she is in here son, she lives in you, as well as your father, they will be there today, in spirit. I have known your parents for a long time and I know that they love you, just because they died doesn't mean that they stopped loving you. They are with you every second of every day, watching over you, guiding you, and protecting you." Trent now felt tears come to his eyes, but tried his best to fight them away, "yea, but how do you know that? I mean, your parents were there for your graduation day." Anton set the picture down and sat next to his son,

"I never told you this, but, my father died when I was very young, and my mother, well, she did her best to take care of me, you see she worked two jobs. She tried to get me to have all the things that she never got to have, she didn't graduate high school, so she didn't have a graduation, she didn't always get to have friends over, so she wanted me to have all those things. Anyway on my graduation day, mom tried really hard to get off work before noon, graduation was at two o'clock, well she worked in a diffrent town then we lived in, she raced home as fast as she could.

Back at the school around one thirty, we were getting pictures taken, and talking amongst our selves about our futures and what not, I wondered off and waited for her, she never came, I was so afraid of what had happened, if she was ever late she would call usually. After graduation was over I speed home to an empty house, as I walked around I could see that she had never been there since that morning when she left. Around ten minutes after I arrived home a police officer came over and told me she had died in a car crash miles out side of town."

Anton could feel the tears in his eyes now, as he remembered that day, it didn't seem all that long ago, Trent stayed silent for a moment, he just couldn't believe that his father was an orphan just like him. He had always told him he didn't have any one to give the family business to, but he just figured it was because of some other reason. Trent put an arm around his father's shoulders the best he could, "dad, why didn't you ever tell me?" Anton answered in a chocked whisper "I couldn't, not at the time, but seeing you hurting inside only makes me remember the pain I went threw, I have been there Trent, I have felt your pain before. Your not alone in this son, your mom and dad are right here with you, in a way you have three parents with you today, a mom and two dads." Anton smiled weakly at his son, and patted his leg as he got to his feet, "what do you say, on the way to graduation we stop by the cemetery for a quick visit. I think both of our parents would like to see us, I think the last time you visited was when I first adopted you."

Trent looked up at him, "how did you know that?"

" Easy, you ran off so much that one day I followed you, I gave you your space so you could talk to your parents, I don't know and don't really want to know what was said. I believe what ever it was that you said to them were meant only for their ears and not mine." Trent only nodded and one last time he checked him self over, grabbed his gown and left with his father.

When they got to the grave yard Trent felt like a tone of weights had been dumped into his stomach, Anton could see his son's nervousness, "its ok son, if you don't wanna do this we can go on to the school." Trent shook his head and let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, "no, I'll be ok." In saying they got out of the car and slowly climbed the hill to his parent's memorial site, Anton decided it was best to leave the bodies in the place they had died in, so he paid to have a memorial placed in their memories.

Trent knelt down in front of the markers they read:

_Janet Fernandez born on July 11, 1962 died on October 12, 2000 dedicated and loving mother and devoted wife._

_Zack Fernandez born on March 20, 1959, died on October 12, 2000 devoted husband and dedicated and loving father._

_Janet and Zack leave behind one child Trent Fernandez, we are always with you son, we love you._

Trent couldn't hold the tears back as they began to trickle down his cheeks, he didn't even bother wiping them away, as Trent stood back up Anton placed a supportive hand on his shoulder, Trent turned and embraced his father, he said for the first time in a wile, "I love you dad."

Anton felt a lump in his throat as he held Trent tighter "I love you too son." Both father and son stood for a moment before Trent pulled away gently and said "can we visit your parents?" Anton didn't trust him self to speak but answered "yes." They walked about ten yards before stopping at another grave marker that read:

_Samantha Mercer, born on December 25, 1938, died on May 13, 1979 loving, and devoted mother, and loving wife._

_Michael Mercer, born on June 8, 1935, died on April 21, 1970, loving and devoted, husband and father._

_Leaving behind one son, Anton Mercer, we will always love you son._

Trent felt the tears in his eyes again as he read the names of his adoptive grandparents on the grave marker, Anton could see the look in his son's eyes again, "did this trip hurt more or help?" Was all he could trust himself to say, Trent swallowed hard and said "it helped, thanks dad." Anton put an arm around his son and lead him back to the car, they drove to the school, where Anton stood proud beside the other hundreds of family members watching their children, grandchildren, and so forth graduate.

Dr. Thomas Oliver looked at the students that lined the center of the auditorium, he couldn't help but feel pride as he called the names of each of the students. Many he had in his own classes, when it was all over Tommy followed his students out into the hallway where he found Trent, Conner, Kira and Ethan standing and talking together about their future.

Anton came up beside him and clapped the man on the back, "so Tommy, how does it feel to know that all of your students are going on to bigger and better things?" Tommy took a deep breath and said "it feels great, I cant help but notice how Trent looks sad, I can tell he is trying real hard to hide it." Anton pulled Tommy aside and out of hearing range "its because his real parents are not here, did he ever tell you about what had happened?"

Tommy looked back to Trent before facing Anton again " he told me that his parents didn't make it out of a cave in but that's all he told me." Anton gave a sad look to Trent and then back at Tommy, "Tommy, how old were you when you were adopted?"

Tommy thought about that a moment and said "uh I think about 2 years old? Why?" " Did you ever meet your natural parents?" Tommy looked down at the floor, he was sure he knew where this was headed, "no, I just met my natural brother when I was a ranger." He said the last part about being a ranger very softly. " Tommy, Trent's parents died 4 years ago, Trent was only 12 at the time, but he remembers their deaths very well, you see he witnessed it, he saw all the blood and the hole nine yards. I tried so hard to shield him, I tried to make him turn away but he wouldn't, he saw as they pulled their bodies out of the cave what a bloody mess that was. He was traumatized for months after words, I thought he would be scared for life, but he calmed down, he had a bad scare though. Wile the adoption was being finalized the stress of their deaths, work, raising a child, the funerals, the mounds of paperwork required before I could adopt Trent, it put so much stress on me, that I had a heart attack one morning."

Tommy looked at his friend in shock; "you never told me you had a heart attack?" "Shh just listen, any way Trent came into my room, I could not speak but I could open my eyes, and use my hands some and use them to talk to Trent, I motioned for him to dial 911. His little hands were shaking so bad it wasn't even funny, a social worker took Trent to a foster home for the time being until I was well enough to return home. It took about a month of convincing the system that I was well and that nothing would happen in the future to prevent me from caring for Trent. They finally believed me and sent Trent back to me, when I walked into the foster home he was sitting on the couch curled up in a ball crying his heart out. All I said was 'Trent, its ok' and he looked up and saw me, it still moves me that he ran to me, the kid was so small but yet he almost toppled me over when he ran into my arms. I picked him up and he whispered in my ear 'I love you dad, promise you wont ever leave me again' all I could say was 'I promise.' after that he seemed fine, but was sad every now and then. This morning I found him in his room fighting back tears holding his parent's photograph, we talked and he seemed to be fine, but I know better, he still hurts, and as I know all to well, that pain never goes away."

Tommy by now had tears of his own, he quickly wiped them away as the four teens came to them, Conner was jumping up and saying "yea! We are outta here! Woo ho!" Kira just rolled her eyes and exclaimed "oh brother!" Ethan was as excited as Conner but he wasn't acting like a child about it, Trent just stayed in the shadows and didn't talk, Tommy said in a clear voice "congrats guys, I am very proud of all of you."

They shared a brief thank you and see you at the graduation party at Hailey's after they spent some time with their own families. As Trent and his father were getting it to their car Trent spoke for the first time "dad, when I was walking across the stage, I saw something, or rather some one in the crowed." Anton lifted his eyebrows and said "oh and who was it?" Trent looked back to the school, then up to the sky and said "it was mom and dad, they were standing on either side of you, and I kept wishing that I would see them, and I did." As they got in and buckled up Anton said "I told you they would be there." Trent took one last look at the school before saying "you were right dad."

**A/N: this story came to me from an experience I had in elementary school when I graduated in 1995 from 6th grade, a friend of mine's parents couldn't be there, but they were there in spirit. Please read and review** any and all flames will be thrown tothe lions**so please no flames**!


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